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Monday, August 03, 2009

Changes are Coming :: The Plan

As alluded to in Changes are Coming :: The First Step, an extended road trip is on the horizon! Terry Snyder asked in a comment to that post if it had anything to do with my "if I had a million dollars" post. In a way, it does. But no, I haven't won the lottery or inherited any money from a rich old uncle. And no, I don't have unlimited financial wealth. I don't have all the tech-toys that would be helpful in this venture, and I don't have the big beautiful RV I'd like to have, but I do have my little van. And I think it will do quite well, thank you very much.

For quite some time, long before I retired two years ago, I have wanted to do this. But my Mother was diagnosed with breast cancer about the time I retired and we've been dealing with doctor visits, etc. ever since. She was recently given a clean bill of health, at least as far as the cancer is concerned. Considering the fact that she is 81 years old, she is in pretty good physical health though her mental faculties are a bit shaky now and then.

Her improved health, along with my illness in February, was the catalyst that put things in motion. I finally just decided that if I was going to do this, I'd better be doing it soon. I'm not getting any younger ;-) and who knows what my physical condition will be within the next few years. Hopefully, no drastic changes in that regard, but you just never know. The third factor that really set this in motion was the fact that the lease is up on my apartment at the end of August - there would be another $30 per month increase as well as having to sign a two-year lease, both of which were unacceptable to me! So, it just looks like the time is right.

I've been selling off my household furniture though I still have a few things that need to be sold. My books, photographs, and research papers will be put in storage. However, I'll still have the photos and research papers with me since I've spent nearly the past year and a half scanning them! I just knew there was some reason I needed to get them digitized, other than the fact that it needed to be done. LOL. If I don't want to keep what doesn't get sold, it will be given away. The storage space that I rented today is only 5' x 10' which should hold the things that are being kept.

To say that the past few months have been stressful is putting it mildly. So many thoughts going through this old brain of mine - making lists of things that need to be done, putting things in order, finishing up projects, deciding what to keep and what doesn't need to be kept, selling things and seeing them go out the door, notifying friends and family, trying to explain what I'm going to do and hoping they understand. Actually, there has only been one person that has had anything negative to say about it and that was my Mother. Understandable, since she has come to depend upon me for so much, but I'm confident that my niece, my brother, and a cousin will be able to do the things that I have done for her. She's not happy about it, but has accepted that it is going to happen. Still a bit more stuff that needs to be done before I leave. Time is passing too quickly!

So, what is it that is going to happen?

An extended road trip. A bit of research and a whole lot of traveling. Places to go and people to see. Back in March, I wrote about a proposed Joslin Family Heritage Tour being planned for September. Due to the fact that one of the major players involved (Lorene) had surgery in June and then had a stroke (which the surgery was supposed to prevent, sigh) that tour has been postponed until next spring. Lorene is home but is still in therapy. She can't speak and can't swallow so she is on a feeding tube. Other than that, she is getting along okay. Having the stroke was disheartening but George and Lorene are optimistic folk and they have had a lot of people praying for them. The outlook is hopeful.

My first destination, the first week of September, will be to Springfield, Missouri to visit Lorene and George for a few days. Then I'll be coming back to Indiana for several days to take care of some "loose ends" and then it will be off to Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, etc., etc. for some research. I'll pretty much be "playing it by ear" as far as where I go and when, though I do have a list of specific places that I want to visit and documents that I want to find. I've been told that fall in New England is beautiful and I am hoping to become an official leaf peeper this year! I've got a first cousin that lives in Maine that I haven't seen in more than 15 years, an aunt and a cousin live in Maryland, and there are other relatives that I'd like to spend some time with too. As I said, places to go and people to see…

There is a lot to do before I leave. I'm still trying to figure out how to set up the van with storage for the stuff that is coming along with me, as well as a place to sleep. Campgrounds will become my friend. When the weather turns cold, I'll be heading south, eventually making my way westward. There are friends and family to visit in Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, California, Washington, Montana and elsewhere. Whew! Hopefully I'll get back to Springfield to see George and Lorene again sometime this winter. I'd like to spend some time in Salt Lake City too.

The plan is to maintain the blog, though I don't know how frequently I'll be posting. You are welcome to join me on the journey via this blog. I'll also be setting up an account on Flickr.

I believe in serendipity. Not just in family research, but in travel also. As one door closes, another opens… one phase ends, another begins. I'm a little nervous and a lot excited about the prospects of this journey but I feel it is the right thing for me to be doing at this particular time. The stars have aligned. It's time to go.

I am so very jealous! I know that you worked hard for many years and you so have this trip coming to you! If your trip goes well, it may give me the gumption to do something similar. Just get in the car and drive!

Best of luck for your trip, Becky - it sounds like a wonderful idea, and I'm not just a little envious. I hope you will work out some method of keeping connected while you are on the road, so that you can update your blog - and us - with your adventures. Regards, Brett

Susan - The way things stand now, it will be next spring before I'm in California. I've added you to my growing list and will be in touch when the time comes.

Kathryn - I'm more than willing to "meet up" with any geneabloggers who would like to do so!

Sheri - Yep, have worked hard all my life to get to this point! Feels good to finally be doing something about that dream. Go for it!

Bill - It is a treasure hunt, indeed. Hoping to find "that" document (actually many of them) along the way.

Jasia - Actually, Michigan is on the list, just left it off. Perhaps we'll get to meet sometime after all. Two empty bedrooms, hmm.

Apple - It helps that I'm single with no children ;-) and I'll be in touch when I get to New York, you can count on it!

Greta - I'm certainly hoping to be able to post on the blog, just don't know how frequently it will be!

Brett - It would be easier to "stay connected" if I'd fork over the money for some of those tech toys. We'll see how it goes with what I already have.

GrannyPam - There is a bit of "fear" to go along with the "brave and resourceful" but a little fear is a good thing, so I've been told. My mantra right now is "It will all be okay" but those little butterflies are fluttering around in my stomach. LOL.

It has been a busy week. Mostly sorting and packing my things. As my brother so astutely pointed out "moving is stressfull, especially when you have to pick and choose what to keep".

As I mentioned to Kathryn, I'll be more than happy to meet-up with any geneabloggers along the way, whether for a few hours or a day or so, just let me know you are interested. I appreciate all of the offers, geneabloggers are an incredible group of people!

Becky, It is now March 2010, and I am just reading this, after following your posts backwards. I've lived in several of the states you passed through, so I enjoyed reading everything and seeing your photos. I have a few Joslin lines, who m. into Wilder and are buried at Leominster! Also, a lot of lines in St. Armand, Canada...so you can see why I had to write. Have a wonderful and safe trip.

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As with any genealogical project this is a "Work in Progress" and the possibility does exist that it could contain errors, hopefully, not many. Source information for each post is available upon request. Ask me and I'll provide the information.

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About Me & Kinexxions

I am a GeneaHistorian and Native Hoosier who grew up in rural Kosciusko County. I served in the US Navy 1969-1979 in Virginia, Maryland, Florida, Iceland, California, and Japan. What will you find here at kinexxions? A bit of Family History, Genealogy, Research Tips, Photography, Travel, and whatever else catches my interest! My Hoosier ancestors were in Elkhart, Kosciusko, Miami, Switzerland and Whitley counties.

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You have to be a "Registered User" to leave a comment. This means you must have a user ID with one of the following: Google, Live Journal, Word Press, Type Pad, AIM,or Open Id. If you don't have one of those IDs you can always send me an email (link in upper right corner of the blog). I apologize for the inconvenience but the amount of Spam Comments being left was overwhelming. Comment moderation is turned on for posts more than 3 days old.

Read the License & Acknowledge My Contribution If You Use My Content

If you decide to use the content provided at Kinexxions you must follow these guidelines:

1. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). In other words, give me credit for my work! That means including my name, Rebeckah R. Wiseman, the title of the blog post and the URL of the specific blog post being used. Images should link back to the blog post in which they were published.

2. You may not use this work for commercial purposes.

3. If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

In addition, it would be nice if you would send an email to kinexxions@gmail.com to let me know you are using my content. You never know, I may have more information you could use - or perhaps you might have information that I don't have.

I am more than happy to share my work. However, lots of time and energy has gone into this family history research and it 'ticks me off' to see my hard work in someone else's online tree or website and they make it appear to be their own work. If you do that, and I find out about it, you will be contacted!

The content of this site cannot be used for commercial purposes without explicit permission from the author and blog owner. This includes blogs with ads and income generating features and/or blogs or sites using feed content as a replacement for original content. Complete content usage is prohibited.

Unless otherwise noted, photographs used on this blog are mine. If you would like to use a photograph from this blog, please ask for permission before you use it. Besides, most of the photographs that are posted are low resolution. Better quality versions are available upon request.

As with any genealogical project this is a "Work in Progress" and the possibility does exist that it could contain errors, hopefully, not many.

Source information for each post is available upon request. Ask me and I'll provide the information.

Please contact me if you are have an interest in any of the families presented here at kinexxions.